Yulia Mendel stopped at European Parliament entrance, barred from entering
The former presidential spokeswoman said she was prevented from entering the European Parliament in Brussels and later addressed the meeting by video.
Yulia Mendel, the former spokeswoman for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, said she was stopped at the entrance to the European Parliament in Brussels on September 16 and was not allowed to enter, without receiving an explanation.
She had been invited to speak at an event organised by representatives of Germany's far-right AfD party; organisers later provided her the opportunity to address the gathering via video link.
Sanctions and past statements
Ukraine imposed sanctions on Mendel earlier this week for "spreading Russian propaganda" and "supporting Russian aggression", authorities said.
Recently Mendel gave an interview to American conservative presenter Tucker Carlson in which she accused President Zelensky that in 2022 he "agreed that Donbas be surrendered to Russia." The president's office responded that Mendel was not part of the Istanbul negotiations in 2022 and that she did not make decisions of key importance for Ukraine.
Mendel expressed frustration over being prevented from entering, saying she "wanted to speak about peace". She thanked the AfD organisers for still allowing her to participate by video.
Photo: Iks / NextaTV / skrinshot
